Private Eyes! Are Watching You!
I am pleased to announce the debut of a new column on SOCK, The Criterion Chronicles. Each week, fellow film scholar Mr. Busch and I will watch one of the film classics from The Criterion Collection and comment on it. What makes our class unique is that we're watching the films IN ORDER. Why? Because we're tuff like that.
First up:
The Criterion Collection: Grand Illusion
from the Criterion website:
One of the very first prison escape movies, Grand Illusion is hailed as one of the greatest films ever made. Jean Renior's antiwar masterpiece stars Jean Gabin and Pierre Fresnay, as French soldiers held in a World War I German prison camp, and Erich von Stroheim as the unforgettable Captain von Rauffenstein. Following a smash theatrical re-release, Criterion is proud to present Grand Illusion in a new special edition, with a beautifully restored digital transfer.
Mr. Busch says:
Sipping tanqueray & tonics as a precursor to a wild party may not have been the ideal setting for our first viewing, but there it is. The antiquatedness of the film that is no fault of the director's but only representative of the time period was a bit off-putting at first in our revelry-oriented mood, but I soon (after finally blocking out a yapping dog outside the window) found myself drawn in. As the action unfolded, I felt tension and excitement and realized that the film had power. (the film boils down to a prison escape from the germans by two frenchmen, if you want plot.) The film is quite beautiful and cinematic at times, with sweeping countrysides and snowscapes, but what one will return to is the title and the absolute politeness for one another that the men in uniform show. Prisoners being held hostage are treated to private brandies with the commanding officer of their jail - not that they're going anywhere, not while there's a war on, that's just not sensible.
In true Criterion fashion, the special features are as thrilling as the film itself. A veritable textbook of film historia, the supplements include the story of the film's truly incredible journey (which I will leave for you to research; it's fun, really, and tells about the CC's first major film renovation), a warm essay by Erich von Stroheim (whose superstar turn makes the film), and a 1938 radio broadcast of Renoir and von Stroheim accepting the New York Critics' Award.
I say:
Mr. Busch is feeling much more generous than I am. I NEVER would have made it through the viewing without Mr. Busch at my side, but I will confess that I did eventually get wrapped up in the characters, the story-telling, and the subtextual comments on class divisions. There was an element of nostalgia for the dying aristocracy, but in the end, the more "common" folk won out - helping each other even across language barriers.
For me, the most compelling aspect of the film was Jean Renoir's real empathy for all people. He seems to mourn the various institutions that keep men confined - the military, jails, divisions between countries - and he celebrates the triumph of humanity over these artificial constructs. I mean, all the men, regardless of where they were from and what class they belonged to, loved the same things - booze, food, and women. Good to think about in times like this.
Still, it was difficult to watch for a modern gal like myself. Erich von Strohiem proved to be a marvellous distraction in his bizarre chin-restraining outfit. And he's a good actor too.
In homage to DVDBeaver.com, Mr. Busch and I will provide a beaver shot from each film we watch:
Next up: The Seven Samurai!
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